Works – Skunkadelia https://skunkadelia.com Steel Sculptures of Friendly Robots Tue, 03 Sep 2024 15:42:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 https://skunkadelia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cropped-skunkadelia-favicon-1-32x32.gif Works – Skunkadelia https://skunkadelia.com 32 32 James x428 https://skunkadelia.com/works/james/ Sat, 25 Nov 2023 23:44:57 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11732 Experimenting with simple joints James was originally going to be an improved version of the Dionysian line, with loose, ragdoll style joints. The process began with a washer and bolt-style rotating joint, but after some playful experimentation, I realized I could do a lot by welding parts to a nut and a machine screw to make a nice shoulder joint. Adding a split washer allows for some optional friction - by spinning the arms around once, they can go from loose to pose-able. For the elbow joints, there needs to be a hard stop when the arm is fully extended. For the first elbow I made - the right one - I added some tiny blobs of metal to the joint with the TIG torch. For the left elbow I used the shape of the split washers to act as the hard stop. Both techniques seem to work well, and I'm excited for James to have a few subtle differences for people to discover on their own. This new joint style is compact, and can be scaled to any size needed for any sized robot. This comes at a cost of not being as serviceable as the joints on Proteus Class robots. While they are strong, moving parts can be overstressed under extreme circumstances. I like making robots to last the ages, so I like to think way ahead. If a shoulder joint or an arm joint becomes locked or loose, perhaps it will add to the charm of the robot. James has very strong joints for his size so I'm guessing it shouldn't be an issue for a few hundred years. I considered the possibilities of the James' articulation for the lower half of his body, opting for a simple and reliable choice: fixed knees and ankles, with hinge joint hips. Starting with a square nut and a hex machine screw, I reshaped the joints by rounding off two points of the nut and hacksawing a fake screwdriver slot to the bolt to add some detail. I welded the legs onto James in such a way that he can't bend his legs backwards very far because the leg nut socks down onto the hip screw at just the right spot for the left leg. This same technique doesn't work with the right leg - unless you have left handed threads. I opted to have the shape of the square nut act as a stop against the torso. James has quite a few subtly asymmetric joint designs! I did my best to make the knee and ankle joints look like they could bend. In fact I have fooled myself many times on photo sessions with James, absentmindedly trying to pose him in ways he won't pose. Should I feel proud for fooling my myself? The thought makes my chuckle. James' shoes are made from leftover coped ends of some 4130 tubing ends from a summer project of mine. One shoe was made with a hole saw, the other was made with a hacksaw and file to try and mimic the first one. The steel got hard to hold in the vise after as it took it's irregular shape, so the shoes aren't absolutely identical. One of the pieces of steel had a little chunk of it missing, which I thought I could easily remedy by welding on another piece. That part of the plan went poorly, so I needed to turn the situation around, and into what artist's call 'a happy accident'. In this particular case, I chose copper clad toes to add some fun metal accents to the piece. [caption id="attachment_11782" align="alignnone" width="1900"] James' has got some workin' hands.[/caption]

James' 'Workin' Hands

James' older sister Opal, my previous work, has amazing hands made from discarded square punch blanks, and little snipped pieces of stainless steel bicycle spokes. Working steel that hard on metal that small was a big challenge, but the effort was well worth it. For this piece I needed to scale things up slightly, which is easy to do with a 3d print, but not so much when pallete is comprised entirely of specifically-sized and specifically-shaped pieces of old machine parts. Suddenly, after years of dormancy, the box full of various old square nuts in assorted sizes I've been squirreling away had found their true calling! This is a significant breakthrough. In order to make the nut into the palm of a robot's hand, I needed to to plug the holes in the square nut. I fuse-welded a hacked-down piece of machine screw. I then carefully welded the bronze fingers and thumbs on one at a time, learning a little more each time. Hands have the potential to say so much, I savored this part of the process. Once everything was properly connected, I peered deeply at them using a dorky head-mounted magnifier and heavy scrutiny - reshaping the fingers with tiny files and sandpaper. I also had the perfect excuse to try out the lead hammer for moving the metal while not leaving a dent. It worked, too! The whole time I was working them, I was thinking of how a sculptor's file strokes can be a lot like a painter's brush strokes.

Get up on your feet James!

After weeks of scheming, sculpting, welding, and finishing, James had it all-together. It's a very exciting moment when a new piece stands before me for the first time, staring at it's creator. I like to give my robots an expression of wonder, and that wondrous look can feel profound at this first moment of scrap metal synergy. A collection of leftover machine parts and scrap metal stares back at you. From almost nothing, something meaningful. After allowing this moment its space, I remembered that James can get down as well as get up. I grabbed the hot metal with my weld gloves on and sat him down - then realized my work was not yet done. His feet had no bottom. In short, James had no soles! Say what?! There was a part of me, left over from the old ways I thought about process, that was frustrated to be robbed of the endorphins associated with the 'done' part of a job well done. But as I get older and wiser, I realized that this was just another opportunity to have some more fun with the piece. Instead of rushing out a good-enough solution for something as mundane as the bottoms of feet, I thought of it as another opportunity to experiment. James' birthday will have to wait for the cobbler to come up with something. I chose copper plate to match the shoe tips: scribed to match the feet and cut with a hacksaw, Tread was carefully grooved by hand with a hacksaw. The blade slipped on the slick copper a couple of times, which I'm okay with since his boots should be scuffed from use anyway. After welding the plates onto James feet, I was sure to leave the bottoms of the shoes dark and scuffed. Copper tends to turn all kinds of amazing colors when heated up; and while they are beautiful, they can be difficult to create purposely with a TIG torch and even more difficult to keep once they appear. Copper loves to oxidize as most readers are aware. Clear coating puts a barrier between the metal and the atmosphere. However even after that barrier has been added, there's still some oxygen present so the oxidation continues for a short time afterwards. James' toes had two very different colors before clear coat - I was excited to see if I could lock the colors down so as soon as it was cool enough, I applied a coat of polyurethane to just his feet. While the contrast has faded as expected, a distinct difference in color is still present. I was able to lock down some very nice colors on James' back boilerplate. I was also able to lock in some nice blues and golds in the threaded bolts used for his arms and legs. James had many rounds of finish work throughout the process, and the reward was to have full spectrum of surface finishes and metal colors.

Why James?

This experimental robot didn't have a name picked until his birthday. My first impression of him as a whole was a quiet, reserved sort of fellow. Funny thing is, when I stood him up on his feet for the first time, I realized he could stand on a heel and a toe - making him look like he can dance! The name James seems to have a duality to me - he could be a reserved chaufer, or a tiny robot version of the Godfather of Soul himself.

A New Class of Astrobot

James was an absolute pleasure to make - I have given him my everything for him be the best little robot he can. I plan on making more X-class experimental robots, but James is the first official one. I've had a few commissions in the past that I would reclassify in retrospect, but James will always be the one to make it official. 9.5 x 3.25 x 2" 2 lb, 0.7 oz.]]> Opal i247 https://skunkadelia.com/works/opal/ Sat, 25 Nov 2023 22:39:35 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11728 Opal's hands took a whole day to create - it was a day of great joy. Note the slightly bent up pinky and ring finger of her right hand, shaped to contour the leg it's to rest upon.[/caption] The hand's that were made for opal may be the most expressive part of the sculpture; carefully created from square punch blanks from an ironworker, mated with ten small bits of a stainless steel bicycle spoke. Stainless is even tougher to bend and form just right than mild steel, and great care with the TIG torch was used to weld them on just so, without melting other fingers off in the intense heat affected zone. Needless to say I did not successfully perform the procedure ten times in a row, but perseverance and learning from setbacks helped to pave the way to eventual success. Opal's torso is a copper plumbing flange which sat waiting for decades in a metal box amongst other precious 'maybe someday' parts that are beloved and are reserved for just the right occasion. The whisky-brown tint was an unexpected result of the polyurethane coating discoloring from the heat - which came from a post-birthday touch-up weld, which the copper absorbed like only copper can. The colors looked so rich that I opted to add an additional coat of polyurethane layer rather than clearing it off with acetone. [caption id="attachment_11770" align="alignnone" width="1900"] Opal's arms were made with some bolts, a hacksaw, some files, a sturdy vise, and great deal of moxie.[/caption] Opal's arms started out as average threaded bolts. They were extensively hand filed to mimic the shape of a human arm, sanded, finished, and adorned with little bronze buttons. A full range of finishing techniques were used throughout the piece. I got lost in the process: musing about shapes to make, fussing over the tiniest of details with my magno-spectacles, and ooh-ing and ah-ing over cool looking stray file marks. I felt like some kind of eccentric cavalier watchmaker gone mad, toiling for hours on this magic little thing. [caption id="attachment_11772" align="alignnone" width="1585"] Opal's birthday. If you could zoom in enough you would find tears of joy in my reflection in her shiny metal knees.[/caption] After many hours of working and re-working all the little parts and pieces to be just so, and connecting all the perfect little pieces together to also be just so, Opal had her first sit-down as a complete piece on the edge of my weld bench. As tradition dictates, I rang the big bell above my work bench, and then took a break for a few minutes. These few minutes help me 'reset' my mind so I can try to experience my work with a fresh 'first impression'. This can allow space for a near-end critique of the piece. When I did this 'reset' with Opal, I had moment of absolute head-buzzing joy. To me, Opal is nothing short of the culmination of a lifetime pursuit of pushing art through craft to create something meaningful from the mundane - even if it is only to remind people to smile and be happy. She is iconic in my pursuit to elevate my art as well as my craft, and I will always hold this one very dear to my heart. 1 lb, 3.6 oz. 7.5 x 3 x 3.5"]]> Ozz n426 https://skunkadelia.com/works/ozz/ Sat, 25 Nov 2023 22:04:49 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11726 wheeled robots can roll. His dome head had been masquerading as a stainless measuring spoon before reaching its final form - the 'nose' of Ozz is all that's left of the handle. I connected this spoon-head to the 'spinal' bolt by drilling a hole on the top of the dome, plug-welding it to the bolt, then filing and finishing out the top so to be smooth again. Machinists may relate to the folly that ensued when trying to coax a starter drill-bit to keep from spiraling off the top of the dome with nothing but a laser-guided bench-top drill press, a Starrett starter punch, some EZ tap, and a lot of please please please. But the deed is done and victory feels good. Ozz is particularly proud of the smart little bronze buttons on his chest - you'll have to use your imagination as to what function they may perform at any given moment. He also has a little 'duck tail' handle on the back of his head that can be used to animate his head, which rotates left to right, but not all the way around. The lower part of the handle serves as a stop for the head rotation - which means he can't see behind himself very well, but he's got great hearing and can turn around quickly. The neck joint is fairly loose so his head can bob around a bit, which gives him some playful character animation possibilities. I like to think of Neutrino class robots to be the robot companions for the rest of my robots. Ozz is quite capable in that role, but can also take on solo missions with grace and determination. 1 lb, 14.5 oz. 3 x 2.5 x 2.25"]]> Nina I425 https://skunkadelia.com/works/nina/ Fri, 17 Nov 2023 01:01:20 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11673 anything short of my best work is a waste of that time! Making hundreds of robots can get your mindset locked into a rhythm, following well-honed procedures. My old mantra was to pick the parts, lay them out on a table until I felt I had something to work with, then weld all the pieces together, determining the final pose as I proceeded. After that was naming the robot, stamping out and attaching the boilerplate, Then it was cleaning and polishing, then finally applying the clear coat to 'seal the deal'. While having a routine is great for honing your craft, it wasn't allowing me to be flexible when trying to create something unique in each piece. For art to succeed it has to break free of the routine - even if that routine has worked effectively in the past. I approached Nina with an entirely new plan: which was almost no plan at all! I gave this 'comeback piece' with new constraints:

Do whatever work you feel like doing on the piece at any given time

For Nina, if I wanted to make a hand, I would make a hand. If I wanted to make a face, I would do that. I'd have arms and a torso cut, filed, and polished without legs even picked out. This allowed for a great deal of flexibility in design choices and I was able to let the piece evolve more slowly. It also allowed me to savor making each part just right. Instead of picking out a couple of arms and sticking them onto the torso, I would think about making the best arm for this piece, and to enjoy making the arm just so - hacksawing facets, filing rounded parts, working the part to get beautiful polished and satin brushed finishes; and not stopping until that arm was the absolute best arm for the piece before moving onto some other part. Spending an hour on an arm led me to another amazingly large eureka moment: the notion that I could reshape each individual part with hand tools, like a stone sculptor removes stone to reveal the art. I began filing down parts of axles to shape them more like a human's leg or arm. While this technique seems so obvious in hindsight, I never explored it until Nina, and I haven't seen it before from other artists who work with re-purposed steel. This revelation of 'less-is-more' led me to filing the brass 'charm-rivets' I've been using for over a decade, giving them an improved form as wells as a brighter finish. While all of these innovative techniques lead to some synergistic results, the time it took to make Nina was quadruple that of Ion Class Astrobot construction times of the past. This completely broke my tried-and-true pricing tier - Nina's a small robot with tons of craft time and innovation. And with no way to classify the robots in any kind of pricing structure, my made-to-order astrobot program was no longer a reliable way to price custom work. Nina broke my website! Nina is easy to photograph, because she's got a realism to her pose and her proportions. Through the lens she looks like she's in a movie, able to express complex emotions through body language. She's got real weight on her feet as a human would carry their weight - and a spark of life about her. 1 lb, 14.7 oz. 9.5 x 3.75 x 2.5"]]> Houston M424 https://skunkadelia.com/works/houston/ Wed, 13 Sep 2023 21:28:40 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11604 What Makes an Astrobot an Astronaut? While I've never thought of my robots as 'not having clothes', I didn't think of them having clothes either. The idea of adding an additional layer without having the robot appear bulkier turned out to be one of those simple solutions to a problem that requires a greater share of soul searching - as well as steel parts searching - than even the most experienced and nuanced mind of a master junk metal sculptor could have anticipated. I found the answer in one of my metal ammo cans: [caption id="attachment_11664" align="alignnone" width="1900"]a collection of neatly arranged metal boxes, one of which is labelled 'spring' A noble use for surplus military ammo cans - metal boxes for metal parts.[/caption] I tend not to use springs in my work - not because they aren't a good aesthetic component to use, but because spring steel loses a good deal of it's strength when heated with a welding torch. My solution to this was to rely on the rods placed inside the springs for the strength needed to hold this heavy bot together. This worked out well since I was looking to have the spring be the outer protective layer to the arms and legs underneath.

Rethinking the robot joints for space travel

When crafting a robot from a limited collection of steel bits and bobs, limited choices can lead to a more impressionistic approach for the interfaces of critical joints such as hips and shoulders. A robot can have more loosely defined gaps, which give them their playful robotic feel. This tried-and-true technique wasn't holding up with this piece: A spacesuit is vacuum tight - which lead me to reimagining new ways to connect arms and legs to the torso. I needed to rethink my methods and push towards a more seamless interface between all parts so the suit looked space-worthy. Fortunately for me, a long-distance fan from St. Cloud, Minnesota has been sending me heavy packages filled with lots of amazing steel pieces: amongst the parts were a set of baoding balls - which happened to fit perfectly into the opening of the vintage bicycle hub used for the torso. As an added bonus, this means that when you shake the robot it chimes.

The robot torso

I used a very special bike hub for the torso: a Sears three-speed bicycle hub made in Austria in 1964 - complete with a port once used to for internal gear lubrication - something to add to the spacesuit vibe. It was the only 'torso' in my collection that looked right. It polished up very nicely except where the chrome has flaked off. These imperfections are what I love about old steel parts - they give the spaceman some 'mileage' - looks like he's had many adventures already!

Dropping the Shield and Striking the Arc

It was fun having lots of a-ha moments to formulate an overall plan, but after a while I needed to strike that welding arc and go from the planning stage and into the preparing stage, to the actual making part. The transition was not as cut and dry: I was constantly rethinking solutions to problems that I didn't feel were resolved, swapping some parts for others, and sometimes omitting things I once thought important to the piece. It was slow going, but good things take time and careful consideration, along with a fair share of refinement and rework now and then.

The Space Helmet

The helmet took some time and patience. Getting the robot's eyes as close to the head was very important in order the stainless tubing scrap end to fit on his head. This is the second piece of mine to have reimagined smaller eyes, which gives my newest robots a more human look. This makes it possible for me to be able to sleeve the stainless tube over the head after a bit of grinding the nut to become the cranium. I designed and built the helmet to use a disc shaped rare-earth magnet so it can firmly connect with the astronaut's head, firmly enough so that if you twist the helmet, the head twists with it. Having a magnet on the inside of the helmet also means the astronaut can hold it in either hand. While I'm reluctant to have my art be able to separate into pieces, I felt this one needed to be one of those rare exceptions. I carefully cut the visor hole using a drill press, hacksaw, and dremel tool, then cleaned the edges with a file and sandpaper. Welding the helmet pieces together gave the helmet a nice bit of color in the heat-affected zone - I used the same torch technique to soften the visor edge. I realized when the piece was completed that the helmet could be worn backwards to make the astronaut look like an alien.

The Space Pack

The backpack consists of three very solid blocks of tool steel of enough mass to have a significant shift in the center of gravity - so the Astronaut must lean forward to compensate. I calibrate my welding bench each time a make a robot, so all my pieces start of on level ground, and therefore are as stable as can be. All major parts must be connected before the balancing act takes place, and a solid steel pack causes a significant shift in center mass. I usually the feet get connected near the end of the construction process regardless, but I was concerned this astronaut would lose it's impression of near-weightlessness.

A heavy robot that's light on it's (low gravity) feet

Sculptures made from solid steel tend to be very heavy - an aspect that works well to give the figure a sense of real weight. Normally this works in my favor, but I wanted this piece to seem almost ready to float. I welded hidden 'heels' in the centers of his feet at a severe angle, then cut pieces of scrap 4130 tubing I had laying around from my latest bicycle tallbike project to cover the feet. I was very pleased with how the toe boxes covered gaps and gave a seamless look. I decided to continue the motif to fill in the small gaps between the springs used for the arms and legs. This method of cutting specific fill shapes out of tubing is a evolutionary breakthrough and will most likely be used in some future pieces.

The final touches - finihshing

I've been finishing metal since the year 1998. This astronaut was finished with multiple techniques using a polishing wheel, abrasive pads, emery, and even some semi-purposeful blemishing during construction to help add to the backstory, such as the dent on the top of the helmet made by my beloved antique vise.

Apollo, we have a problem…

As the piece slowly progressed towards completion a couple of names came to mind, but the one that felt right was Apollo - certainly a fitting name for an Astrobot astronaut. I stamped the boilerplate and delicately welded the thin-gauge copper sheet to the solid block of tool steel - not an easy feat for even the most experienced TIG welder. This trick acts a bit like my signature, but it doesn't always go smoothly as the copper absorbs heat quickly and can blow a hole very easily. The three copper boilerplates for this piece affixed without incident - however, when I opened my baby name book to log the serial number, I discovered that I haven't completely memorized all four-hundred plus names I've chosen. Apollo M323 was made back in 2017 - almost exactly 100 Skunkadelic robots ago, almost exactly six years apart from this new piece. A neat coincidence, but I felt this new one needs his own name. I knocked off the old boilerplate with a hammer and steel punch, and renamed the boy Houston. [caption id="attachment_11663" align="alignnone" width="1900"]A piece of copper labelled 'Apollo', bent and discolored The original name tag of Astrobot M424 after being knocked off the pack with a chisel and metalworking hammer[/caption] In the bicycle chopper gang I founded back in 1996, I chose the name Skunk, but I came very close to choosing the name 'Houston' for myself, as we're sci-fi themed and I thought it would be a fitting name for the founder and leader. In retrospect, that name may have been a wiser choice than 'Skunk'. This piece is very personal for me - as one who spends a great deal of time pretending I'm having space adventures with my friends. I find the connection poetic. My mantra for this piece was "If it's not perfect, it's not good enough". This makes for great art, and for some euphoric times, but also requires a lot of rethinking, a lot of time, and sometimes rework. In the end, I hope to have 'gone where no one has gone before', by making something unique in the universe.]]> Hoho P423 https://skunkadelia.com/works/hoho/ Fri, 07 Jul 2023 15:24:13 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11540 The Silver Wings The wings of Hoho once belonged to a silver eagle pin - until I cut it's head off! I also removed the backing pin, trimmed the tail feathers down, and drilled a hole for the machine screw. The pin was in a small collection of charms, necklaces, pins, and other similar items offered by the client as an option for me to include in the piece. Silver can't be welded to steel, but I was able to find the right bolt for the threaded grease port on the hub. It's nice to be able to take them on and off, and the silver is a nice touch against the copper and old chromed steel. The name 'Hoho' is a mash-up of the two last names of the couple who commissioned me to make this beautiful robot as an anniversary celebration gift. Hoho was an absolute pleasure to make. I took my time and enjoyed every moment of the build process. I wanted to give it my all for my comeback piece and I'm satisfied with the results.

Parts List

1950's vintage coaster brake bicycle hub, large nut, two three-speed bicycle gear rings, removable silver wings two hose faucet handles, two large square nuts, four carriage bolts, bicycle headset lock ring, ten three-speed bicycle pawls, quick release axle, seven ball bearings, seventeen lock nuts, eight bicycle chain plates, four flooring nails, nineteen washers, hardware, copper, bronze. 13 x 6 x 3" 3 lbs, 8oz.

Related Links

Proteus Class Care and Maintenance]]> Geoff c422 https://skunkadelia.com/works/geoff-c422/ Thu, 28 Apr 2022 22:57:44 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11420 Java c420 https://skunkadelia.com/works/java/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 22:07:22 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11406 Cee c419 https://skunkadelia.com/works/cee/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 21:50:28 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11395 Veebee c418 https://skunkadelia.com/works/veebee/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 21:05:16 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11385 Python c417 https://skunkadelia.com/works/python/ Tue, 08 Mar 2022 23:50:44 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11366 Pascal c416 https://skunkadelia.com/works/pascal/ Tue, 08 Mar 2022 23:00:15 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11355 Moon a421 https://skunkadelia.com/works/moon/ Thu, 10 Feb 2022 23:08:27 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11341 Pinto i415 https://skunkadelia.com/works/pinto/ Thu, 10 Feb 2022 21:59:39 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11331 Lila d413 https://skunkadelia.com/works/lila/ Sat, 05 Feb 2022 22:46:45 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11320 Bo n414 https://skunkadelia.com/works/bo/ Sat, 05 Feb 2022 21:55:35 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11312 Button n412 https://skunkadelia.com/works/button/ Thu, 13 Jan 2022 17:49:48 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11293 seventeen ball bearings inside Button's head seventeen ball bearings inside Button's head[/caption] Button has seventeen loose ball bearings in his head cavity, so if you shake him he makes a rattling sound. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://skunkadelia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/button-shake.mp4"][/video]]]> Haskell c411 https://skunkadelia.com/works/haskell/ Mon, 10 Jan 2022 16:51:02 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11276 Rebop m409 https://skunkadelia.com/works/rebop/ Tue, 04 Jan 2022 23:52:29 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11263 Nahamani j410 https://skunkadelia.com/works/nahamani/ Sat, 18 Dec 2021 20:10:13 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7945 Free Album: Nemobird – Wormhole Life Support https://skunkadelia.com/works/wormhole-life-support/ Fri, 03 Dec 2021 18:43:58 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11220 A solo concept album: Music specifically crafted to listen to while on late at night bicycle adventures. Before I became a sculptor, before I founded SCUL, I played a lot of music and made quite a few albums with some band-mates up in the great state of Maine. Over the years I realized how much I missed it, so I picked it up again. The album debuted on my fiftieth birthday and SCUL reunion mission.
About the Album Art
I grew up around vinyl and have fond memories of staring at the big album covers while listening to an album for the first time. It connected me with the music more deeply. This is something potentially lost in the age of digital downloads. In response to this I created high resolution artwork in a vinyl album style, which comes with the music. The cover image is of me aboard my ship USB Cloudbuster, with the discobobulating laser array in full tilt. For the musical debut, I gave away printed faux 'albums' - an envelope with cover and back cover artwork, containing a double-sided paper insert resembling a record sleeve and a record inside it. It was a lot of work assembling them and I don't know if folks actually enjoyed them but it was a fun project nonetheless.       Free  
Individual Tracks
1: Nemobird Lullaby 1:06 - mp3 flac This is a track for my African grey parrot Nemo, who's the musical project is named after. Whenever I play this song Nemo pays a lot of attention to me, probably because I tend to focus my attention on him. The faint background hiss is a recording of my typical brunch of a bunch of vegetables suateing in a big cast iron wok. 2. Navi Away 4:41 - mp3 flac Whenever SCUL starts to leave at the start of a mission or on shore leave, and the Navigator is underway, pilots call out 'NAVI AWAY' and the fleet is in motion again. This track is meant to be played at the beginning of a SCUL mission, after the theme song that we always play. There are two sound effects on this track - one is my hoodie zipper, which sounds record scratching; the other is at the end of the track, a recording of the broken vent fan in my bathroom. 3. Dawn Patrol 5:28 - mp3 flac SCUL has a traditional mission where we get up super early (some pull all-nighters) and we ride to the ocean to see the sunrise. This track is meant to be played on the way out. 4. Zero Gravity Napping 7:16 - mp3 flac SCUL likes to nap in hammocks, and those who do are called 'the sky people'. Take a nap in a hammock and snooze to this song. 5. Lost Within the Discobobulator 4:02 - mp3 flac The 'discobobulator' is the name of Cloudbuster's sparkling mirror ball on the bow. It has mesmerizing qualities. If you are lucky enough to see it out on a night mission, imagine listening to this track while gazing at it. 6. Black Hole Orbits 3:13 - mp3 flac SCUL loves to fly around in circles - in fact we often like to take an extra loop around rotaries (or roundabouts, depending on your locale). We call them black holes. Once we ate tacos in the center of a black hole. This track is the most likely one you will want to dance to. 7. Nebulae 0445 5:22 - mp3 flac My personal favorite weather is fog: this track is meant for riding home on rolling country roads in the fog at 4:45 am, when everyone else is asleep. 8. Posithruster 2:55 - mp3 flac Thrusters are bicycle wheels, posi is good. This song is for when the ride is going well. 9. Failed Formation - 2:59 mp3 flac SCUL practices flight formations - sometimes they go well, sometimes they never quite come to cohesion. This song is a loose jumble of notes with a very defiant lead who does it's own thing. 10. Dark Matter 2:06 - mp3 flac The last track to be written for this album, 'dark matter' is the name of the stuff inside the waste treatment plant on Deer Island, which SCUL loves as a destination. The buzzing sound on this track is made from the high frequency electricity of a TIG welding machine trying to establish an arc. 11. Escape Velocity 3:22 - mp3 flac Trying to leave can take effort sometimes, this track is meant to portray that effort. There's an audio illusion called a Shepard tone, in which the note seems to go up forever and ever.]]> SCUL Collector’s Choice Trading Card Single https://skunkadelia.com/works/single-trading-card/ Fri, 26 Nov 2021 18:23:11 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11210 SCUL.org and the cards are yours to treasure. Any mission, ship, and pilot page can be made into a trading card, as long as we have a photo and stats on it. Simply tell me your choices or preferences in the text field below and your dream card will be made and sent to you. For those who are looking for a whole pack of select cards, check out the collector's choice gold dream pack.For those who would rather leave it to chance and trade with others to get the cards they want, check out the standard collector series pack. Nearly five hundred ships. Over nine hundred missions. Over eight hundred fifty pilots. SCUL has trading cards for most of these, making for a very large set of cards to collect. SCUL had a trading card set back in 2001, which had over two hundred to the set. Now after twenty years they are back and better than ever. Stats pulled directly from the website at the time of printing. Each card has a URL to their associated web page for those who like to dig deeper into SCUL lore. These trading cards are hand made by Fleet Admiral Skunk. 100% of the proceeds support SCUL, your friendly sci-fi fueled bicycle chopper gang.]]> SCUL Collector’s Choice Trading Card Dream Pack https://skunkadelia.com/works/collectors-choice-trading-cards/ Fri, 26 Nov 2021 04:04:46 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11203 SCUL.org and the cards are yours to treasure. Any mission, ship, and pilot page can be made into a trading card, as long as we have a photo and stats on it. Simply tell me your choices or preferences in the text field below and your dream pack will be assembled and sent to you. For those who would rather leave it to chance and trade with others to get the cards they want, check out the standard collector series pack.

Individual cards are also available. Nearly five hundred ships. Over nine hundred missions. Over eight hundred fifty pilots. SCUL has trading cards for most of these, making for a very large set of cards to collect. SCUL had a trading card set back in 2001, which had over two hundred to the set. Now after twenty years they are back and better than ever. Stats pulled directly from the website at the time of printing. Each card has a URL to their associated web page for those who like to dig deeper into SCUL lore. These trading cards are hand made by Fleet Admiral Skunk. 100% of the proceeds support SCUL, your friendly sci-fi fueled bicycle chopper gang.]]> SCUL Official Collector Series Trading Cards https://skunkadelia.com/works/trading-cards/ Fri, 26 Nov 2021 04:02:03 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11181 For those who know exactly what they want, check out the collector's choice gold dream pack. Individual cards are also available. These trading cards are hand made by Fleet Admiral Skunk. 100% of the proceeds support SCUL, your friendly sci-fi fueled bicycle chopper gang.]]> 2022 Astrobot Print Calendar https://skunkadelia.com/works/2022-calendar/ Thu, 18 Nov 2021 14:55:40 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11141 Hollis m408 https://skunkadelia.com/works/hollis/ Sun, 14 Nov 2021 17:34:38 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11129 Augusta m407 https://skunkadelia.com/works/augusta/ Tue, 02 Nov 2021 20:06:42 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11113 Boyd c406 https://skunkadelia.com/works/boyd/ Thu, 07 Oct 2021 17:51:48 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11092 Deluxe SCUL stickers five pack https://skunkadelia.com/works/deluxe-scul-stickers/ Mon, 27 Sep 2021 15:11:08 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11070 Made-to-Order SCUL musette bag https://skunkadelia.com/works/scul-bag/ Thu, 23 Sep 2021 05:29:10 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11053 SCUL logo Standard Standard SCUL logo[/caption] [caption id="attachment_11009" align="alignnone" width="692"] Stogie SCUL logo[/caption] [caption id="attachment_11008" align="alignnone" width="703"]Cup Crusher Cup Crusher[/caption]     Please allow three weeks for production and delivery. 100% of the proceeds go to supporting SCUL, friendly neighborhood bicycle chopper gang. Thank you for helping to keep SCUL in space! PS More images coming soon.]]> SCUL stickers ten pack https://skunkadelia.com/works/scul-stickers/ Tue, 21 Sep 2021 23:06:11 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11050 SCUL One-Inch buttons ten pack https://skunkadelia.com/works/buttons/ Tue, 21 Sep 2021 21:16:51 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=11032 SCUL Donation https://skunkadelia.com/works/donation/ Tue, 21 Sep 2021 20:43:03 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/works/uncategorized/donation/ SCUL's supporters webpage.   Thank you.]]> Made-to-Order SCUL tee shirt https://skunkadelia.com/works/scul-t/ Sat, 28 Aug 2021 21:27:05 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7981 get in touch with me: I may be able to oblige.

Size Chart

US Size Chest (in inches)
XS 34
S 37
M 40
L 44
XL 48
XXL 52
XXXL 56

Designs

'standard SCUL logo' graphic
'Stogie SCUL' graphic
'We Make Spaceships Out of Bicycles' graphic
'Cup Crusher' graphic

Colors

black
midnight
red
cardinal
turquoise
bondi
ice
purple
royal
apple
heather
neon green
orange
mint
light olive
sand
military green
white
]]> Trev C405 https://skunkadelia.com/works/trev-c405/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 14:01:56 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7925 Mima i403 https://skunkadelia.com/works/mima-i403/ Thu, 06 May 2021 21:10:08 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7935   Mima has a waist that spins counter-clockwise from above, but not the other way around. This, along with her neck, allows for her to dance and pose in interesting ways.]]> Jax n404 https://skunkadelia.com/works/jax-n404/ Thu, 06 May 2021 19:33:48 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7927 Ken n402 https://skunkadelia.com/works/ken/ Wed, 24 Mar 2021 16:38:46 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7902 Billie c401 https://skunkadelia.com/works/billie/ Fri, 12 Mar 2021 02:33:33 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7903 Colby c400 https://skunkadelia.com/works/colby/ Wed, 10 Mar 2021 16:58:49 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7892 Janis m399 https://skunkadelia.com/works/janis/ Wed, 24 Feb 2021 17:54:21 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7871 Silver i398 https://skunkadelia.com/works/silver/ Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:56:13 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7733 Pal n397 https://skunkadelia.com/works/pal/ Wed, 06 Jan 2021 16:58:28 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7617 Kate i396 https://skunkadelia.com/works/kate-i396/ Wed, 30 Dec 2020 16:51:20 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7584 Bee n395 https://skunkadelia.com/works/bee/ Tue, 29 Dec 2020 16:57:45 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7303 Abbot J m394 https://skunkadelia.com/works/abbot-j/ Wed, 16 Dec 2020 16:37:05 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7307 The Story of Abbot J Read about the genesis of Abbot J in this post entitled The Golden Epaulets of Abbot J.]]> Ka1 i393 https://skunkadelia.com/works/ka1/ Fri, 11 Dec 2020 18:24:45 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7304 Storey i392 https://skunkadelia.com/works/storey/ Fri, 04 Dec 2020 03:26:00 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7316 Devo c391 https://skunkadelia.com/works/devo/ Tue, 17 Nov 2020 22:50:07 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=7257 Devo-inspired art Devo-inspired art by @annetsirk[/caption]]]> Ardea m390 https://skunkadelia.com/works/ardea/ Thu, 29 Oct 2020 16:20:28 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6815 Allen m388 https://skunkadelia.com/works/allen/ Thu, 16 Jul 2020 20:21:22 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6676 Sassy c389 https://skunkadelia.com/works/sassy/ Wed, 15 Jul 2020 15:39:49 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6674 Nile m387 https://skunkadelia.com/works/nile/ Sat, 27 Jun 2020 01:17:09 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6636 Beamer a386 https://skunkadelia.com/works/beamer/ Thu, 23 Apr 2020 21:57:56 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6480 Axel n383 https://skunkadelia.com/works/axel/ Thu, 16 Apr 2020 22:00:20 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6434 ]]> Bernard p384 https://skunkadelia.com/works/bernard/ Thu, 16 Apr 2020 21:11:30 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6126 ]]> Calder d377 https://skunkadelia.com/works/calder/ Tue, 14 Apr 2020 19:13:51 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6401 Bicycle coaster brake hub, two bicycle axles, threaded rod, two bicycle stem wedge nuts, bicycle coaster brake washer, two bicycle coaster brake parts, two three-speed bicycle hub gears, two ball bearings, bicycle spokes, bolt, nut, machine screw, copper, bronze
Serial number 191220D377
10.5 x 3 x 1.75
1 lb., 7 oz
]]> Star i381 https://skunkadelia.com/works/star/ Sat, 04 Apr 2020 21:13:30 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6386 Joy c380 https://skunkadelia.com/works/joy/ Tue, 31 Mar 2020 17:27:09 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6364 Emma m385 https://skunkadelia.com/works/emma/ Thu, 12 Mar 2020 18:53:37 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6358 Ivo a379 https://skunkadelia.com/works/ivo/ Sun, 16 Feb 2020 20:26:24 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6341 Nash c378 https://skunkadelia.com/works/nash/ Sun, 15 Dec 2019 01:12:27 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6298 Zilpha m382 https://skunkadelia.com/works/zilpha/ Sun, 15 Dec 2019 01:12:02 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6297 Isabella m376 https://skunkadelia.com/works/isabella/ Fri, 06 Dec 2019 04:05:07 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6225 Cricket c375 https://skunkadelia.com/works/cricket/ Wed, 04 Dec 2019 18:27:46 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6206 Johnny ∞ m367 https://skunkadelia.com/works/johnny-infinity/ Tue, 03 Dec 2019 06:41:28 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6199 Smooch d374 https://skunkadelia.com/works/smooch-2/ Tue, 03 Dec 2019 06:17:13 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6191 Oberon i373 https://skunkadelia.com/works/oberon/ Wed, 27 Nov 2019 05:57:05 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6181 Xavia i372 https://skunkadelia.com/works/xavia/ Fri, 15 Nov 2019 04:11:57 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6144 Dyanna t368 https://skunkadelia.com/works/dyanna/ Wed, 13 Nov 2019 04:07:49 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6130 A Somernovian Story: Skunkadelia & Dyanna from Somernova on Vimeo. Dyanna was a commissioned piece to be the icon of fearless innovation for Somernova. She is located just outside my studio space at the Artisan's Asylum. She loves to have her picture taken with folks who come and visit her. [caption id="attachment_6137" align="alignnone" width="703"] A steel heart was placed in the chest cavity of Dyanna before sealing it in with a backplate.[/caption] Dyanna has a secret: the last thing I gave her was a big strong plasma-cut bronze encrusted robo-heart. Here's the last image taken of the 'Heart of Dyanna' before it was sealed forever into place, never to be seen again. Four CNC tool holders, scuba tank, vintage motorcycle tank, antique truck swilvel ball joint, two Bridgeport handle wheels, two tool holders, acme threaded rod, axe heads, railroad spikes, bolts, bicycles, MBTA garage springs, antique wrenches, antique lathe belt gear, two lathe chucks, two beam connectors, two spindles, steel tubing, motorcycle clutch plate, large gears, nuts, washers, bronze estimated mass: 800 lbs

Where to find Dyanna

Dyanna greets folks as they enter the Somernova Courtyard. See the map below for her exact location. Come and visit! ]]> Oro n371 https://skunkadelia.com/works/oro/ Tue, 12 Nov 2019 04:31:50 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6114 Henry m370 https://skunkadelia.com/works/henry/ Tue, 29 Oct 2019 16:17:21 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=6095 Wallace c366 https://skunkadelia.com/works/wallace/ Fri, 13 Sep 2019 05:21:24 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5827 Willie n369 https://skunkadelia.com/works/willie/ Thu, 04 Apr 2019 19:12:48 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5749 Yonder i364 https://skunkadelia.com/works/yonder/ Mon, 10 Dec 2018 17:35:29 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5713 Maureen m363 https://skunkadelia.com/works/maureen/ Mon, 10 Dec 2018 17:26:34 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5711 Faust i362 https://skunkadelia.com/works/faust/ Mon, 10 Dec 2018 17:11:13 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5701 Merry c361 https://skunkadelia.com/works/merry/ Thu, 15 Nov 2018 06:32:08 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5668 Park c360 https://skunkadelia.com/works/park/ Thu, 15 Nov 2018 06:21:35 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5662 ]]> Eileen d359 https://skunkadelia.com/works/eileen/ Thu, 15 Nov 2018 06:08:21 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5655 Lyra m357 https://skunkadelia.com/works/lyra/ Wed, 17 Oct 2018 00:14:11 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5599 Cameo p358 https://skunkadelia.com/works/cameo/ Tue, 11 Sep 2018 20:14:10 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5612 IFF Advertisement on the MBTA[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5833" align="alignnone" width="703"]IFF Botston Banner IFF Botston Banner[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5846" align="alignnone" width="703"] IFF Boston 2019 Program Guide[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5847" align="alignnone" width="703"] IFF Boston 2019 Program Guide Inside Front Cover[/caption]]]> Pearl i355 https://skunkadelia.com/works/pearl-i355/ Wed, 22 Aug 2018 17:47:40 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5555 Scout m356 https://skunkadelia.com/works/scout/ Mon, 30 Jul 2018 20:52:53 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5573 Ojo n353 https://skunkadelia.com/works/ojo/ Thu, 26 Jul 2018 16:34:24 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5567 Wilson m351 https://skunkadelia.com/works/wilson/ Wed, 25 Jul 2018 14:31:18 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5551 Matt c354 https://skunkadelia.com/works/matt/ Thu, 19 Jul 2018 16:35:40 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5541 Valerie m350 https://skunkadelia.com/works/valerie/ Mon, 16 Jul 2018 16:05:24 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5533 Deedee i349 https://skunkadelia.com/works/deedee/ Tue, 03 Jul 2018 14:34:55 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5517 Kip n344 https://skunkadelia.com/works/kip/ Thu, 17 May 2018 16:37:58 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5506 Emmi c217 https://skunkadelia.com/works/emmi/ Wed, 16 May 2018 20:38:58 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5499 Lydia c218 https://skunkadelia.com/works/lydia/ Wed, 16 May 2018 20:30:12 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5494 Wilbur p347 https://skunkadelia.com/works/wilbur/ Wed, 16 May 2018 18:29:19 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5473 Eighty-nine bicycle parts, nine ball bearings, four washers, four brass acorn nuts, five machine screws, four nuts, small split washers, copper, bronze. Last known whereabouts: Roslendale, Massachusetts. Wilbur is named after Wilbur Wright, in honor of the bicycle manufacturer who started the aerospace industry. Wilbur is completely pose-able without tools. He can stand on one foot easily.
Learn more about how Proteus Class Astrobots are made. 4 lbs., 0 oz. 17 x 8 x 4"]]> Helen m346 https://skunkadelia.com/works/helen/ Wed, 16 May 2018 17:32:35 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5467 Lewis i343 https://skunkadelia.com/works/lewis-i343/ Mon, 09 Apr 2018 16:49:37 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5443 Jett c352 https://skunkadelia.com/works/jett/ Fri, 06 Apr 2018 21:00:23 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5441 Ernest c340 https://skunkadelia.com/works/ernest/ Thu, 22 Mar 2018 15:33:24 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5430 Roly n341.]]> Elysa i342 https://skunkadelia.com/works/elysa/ Thu, 22 Mar 2018 04:35:06 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5411 Related The Birth of Elysa]]> Roly n341 https://skunkadelia.com/works/roly/ Wed, 14 Mar 2018 18:51:13 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5397 Ernest c340. 8 oz. 4 1/2 x 2 7/8 x 2 1/2” Last known whereabouts: Huntington Avenue, Boston Massachusetts.]]> Kai i339 https://skunkadelia.com/works/kai/ Mon, 05 Mar 2018 19:11:39 +0000 https://skunkadelia.com/?post_type=product&p=5395
My fellow SCUL pilot and friend Couscous had the notion of having a Skunkadelic figurehead for his ship NSC Glittergasm, and he had a very clear idea of what he wanted:
I like the accent of color in Mo, but also the variety of colors in Shelley. I'd love to work with you to pick out parts and figure out how to mount this on Glittergasm if possible - I have a few ideas - while also having it be able to stand on it's own so it can live in my space station during the off season. As for a pose, I like the idea of an arm outstretched forwards because I think that works well for a figurehead. Perhaps the other arm held closer to the body as if holding something? It would also be neat if the hands could have a small hole through them such that I could later create small items for the bot to hold such as a wand or a book. Depending on what part(s) we choose for the eyes, i may also be interested in an insertion point from the back of the eyes such that I could wire in some small lights while the bot was acting as a figurehead.
We got together at my studio space and picked out the parts together. Since Couscous was handy with tools we both got to do some minor alterations of metal before welding. The thick copper body we chose turned out to be much more of a heat sink than expected - and would glow for a good while after welding. This does not typically happen with TIG welds, at least with steel. TIG brazing with silicon bronze to weld copper to steel is tricky, particularly in this small scale. We worked together on ways that this Astrobot could grip an object. Couscous' ship blows bubbles - so I was excited to show him the  metal bubble-wand I had been saving - we needed to chop the middle out so it was proportionate to the robot. I also had a beautiful, small hook clamp which would work nicely to grip the wand. All the pieces came together, so to speak. At the time of this posting, Kai has successfully been mounted on Glittergasm and has fully functional glowing blue optical units already installed.
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